Under the leadership of 89-year-old Mahmoud Abbas, who hasn’t named a successor, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has announced the creation of a vice presidency.
The organization’s central council approved creating the position of vice chairman of the PLO Executive Committee after a two-day meeting on Thursday. The Palestinians hope that the State of Palestine’s vice president will eventually receive full international recognition for their contributions.
Although it’s unknown when or exactly how that position will be filled, it is anticipated that someone with that position will be in the lead candidate to succeed Abbas. The other 15 members of the PLO’s executive committee will select Abbas as his vice president.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which is the Palestinian people’s internationally recognized representative, is in charge of some of the areas of Israeli-occupied West Bank where the PLO exercises limited autonomy. For 20 years, Abbas has taken charge of both organizations.
Hamas is not a member of the PLO, having won the last national elections in 2006. Since the PA security forces seized control of Gaza in 2007, reconciliation efforts have repeatedly failed.
Recent polls have revealed a decline in his and his Fatah party support.
For the PA to play a role in post-war Gaza, donors from the West and the Arab world have demanded reforms. The organization has long been accused of corruption and poor governance, but it is incredibly unpopular. His critics might be at ease if they were to name an heir apparent.
Abbas was criticized by Hamas on Thursday for remarks he made the day before, in which he called the group “sons of dogs” and demanded that it be free of Israeli prisoners and lay down weapons.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stated, “Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously places the blame on our people for the crimes committed during the occupation and its ongoing aggression.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that at least 1 928 people have died there since Israel’s war broke out in October 2023, bringing the total toll to at least 51,305.
After being largely sidelined, Abbas has been looking for more relevance and a place in post-war planning for the Gaza Strip.
Source: Aljazeera
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